Service

Guided by the Corporal Works of Mercy, the Catholic Center Service Committee strives to provide opportunities for students to serve others in and around the city of Boston. Over the years students have:

Introduced first-year students to service through the Welcome Week Service Project, handing out bagged lunches to the homeless around the city.

Participated in interfaith service with our neighbors at the Hillel House for Mitzvah Day.

Helped set up for the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk and assembled 5000 snack bags for walkers.

Gone apple picking at the local Honey Pot Hill Orchard and then baked apple crisps to donate to Boston Rescue Mission, a shelter and meal program in the heart of Boston.

Collected a dozen boxes of clothing for a winter clothing drive to donate to Rosie’s Place and St. Francis House.

And so much more!

Our most common service event is our weekly participation in the Back Bay Mobile Soup Kitchen (BBMSK) on Sunday evenings throughout the year. The BBMSK consists of a group of volunteers who go out on the streets of Boston to encounter our brothers and sisters struggling with homelessness. The volunteers bring socks, sandwiches, water, hand-warmers, and other small necessities to the homeless while making a point to engage them in conversation to break down any feelings of isolation afflicting those cut off from normal social engagement. While the BBMSK goes out three times per week (Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday), BU Catholic Center students have organized to help out specifically on Sunday evenings. Students meet at 211 Bay State Road at 5:15pm to make sandwiches, then depart at 5:45pm to meet other volunteers by 6pm at St. Clement’s Eucharistic Shrine on Boylston Street. Donations of food, money, or supplies are welcome, as is anyone who would like to volunteer to make sandwiches or go out to the homeless.

“‘Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world;for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me,I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.’” (Matthew 25:34-36)

We are always looking for new ways to serve, so don’t hesitate to email bucatholic@gmail.com with ideas or suggestions! Please also reach out to Marcella Alfonso, the Catholic Center’s Service Committee head for the 2018-2019 academic year (malfonso@bu.edu).

For more updates on Catholic Center service opportunities, visit the Catholic Center’s Facebook group.